


Cadets

by Jid123



Category: She-Ra and the Princesses of Power (2018)
Genre: Domestic Fluff, Post-Season/Series 05 Finale
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-10-14
Updated: 2020-11-25
Packaged: 2021-03-08 18:41:30
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 2
Words: 2,521
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27011431
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Jid123/pseuds/Jid123
Summary: On a trip to the Fright Zone, Hordak, Catra and Entrapta find remnants of the Horde army that they didn't quite expect to find.
Relationships: Entrapta/Hordak (She-Ra)
Comments: 2
Kudos: 66





	1. Chapter 1

The Fright Zone, or what was left of the Fright Zone in all honesty. Hordak’s once mighty fortress. Build from the ruins and in some the once mighty Scorpion Kingdom. It had been for lack of a better word the Clone’s ‘home’ for decades. Although in reality he never saw it as much of a home, more like a base from which to conduct operations. In his mind his real home was on the Velvet Glove by Prime’s side. Though that seemed like a lifetime ago. Now his home was with Entrapta. As long as he was by her side, that was his home. It could have been in a tent, or in the confines of Dryl Castle. Honestly if they returned to the Fright Zone, so long as she was there it could have been home. 

“Man, this place is a dump” Catra muttered.

Hordak looked over to Catra who was going through some of the wreckage in the armory where they had a ...tussle and sighed, “I suppose your memories of this place are far worse than mind, given what Adora has told me of your childhood”

“Adora talks to you about that stuff?” Catra asked, looking surprised.

Hordak nodded, “She has been very...open ...to me as of late ever since we shared a memory together, though I’m not sure why”

“Oh yeah, when you found her as a baby” Catra said as she went through a pile of junk, “She mentioned something like that”

“Indeed”

“Wow look at all this great junk!” Entrapta walked in holding a large pile in her hand and hair, “I could recycle all these parts for new bots! Weapons….MACHINES OF SCIENCE, AHAHAHAHAHAHA!”

“Don’t think Sparkles will appreciate the weapons part” Catra chuckled.

“Oh don’t worry I can hide them pretty easily if I wanted too”

Hordak chuckled, “I’m sure you could...Most of the Fright Zone is made from rescued parts anyway”

“That’s why it looks like a trash heap” Catra snickered, “I mean, waist not what not I guess”

Hordak nodded.

On behalf of the Princess Alliance the three of them were sent on a reconnaissance mission to ascertain the amount of damage done to this place and how much needed assessment before they could really tear down this place and begin again with the reconstruction of Scorpia’s long lost Kingdom. Hordak honestly didn’t care if this place went down. It was all a reminder of his following, and Catra for her part volunteered to be the one who laid the wrecking ball herself. Adora also wanted to set charges, and Queen Glimmer. Though that last one seemed far more spiteful than dealing with some sort of trauma. At least from what he perceived.

The reason it was the three of them though was because they had the most knowledge of the Fright Zone in and out. Being it’s two main rulers they had all the passcodes and locks, so every nook and cranny could be searched and they could bypass any security that was still activated.

For most of the afternoon Hordak, Catra and Entrapta went through various rooms and places in the Fright Zone. Assessing the various areas, seeing what may be recycled and salvaged and what had to go. Obviously some of the sewage areas needed a complete redoo and sanctum and lab would have to go. Entprata was a bit sad to see the place she and Hordak first met destroyed but he assured her that their new sanctum was far better anyway.

However as they headed into the mess halls did they hear a scuffling sound. In the distance a shadow was running down the hall.

“Someone else is here” Catra stood behind the wall, “Be careful”

“Oh...Combat” Entratpa whispered, “How fascinating”

“Probably thieves and anyone interested in the rubble” Hordak muttered.

Catra’s ear twitches, “A bunch of them are in the mess hall...On three….One….Two...Three”

Without hesitation Catra jumped in and looked around, the mess hall was empty but she did hear something. Hordak could hear it too. Both their ears were quite sensitive to sound. Although it had a ort of faint whimper to it. Very high pitch. 

Going down on all fours Catra began to sniff the ground trying to get a scent. She began to make her way to the supply closet that was in the mess hall. The scent must have been strong for she gave one loud wiff.

“Got them” She hissed and opened the door, “A ha!”

“For the Horde” Squeaked a high pitch voice.

Suddenly Catra was being pelted by brooms.

“Outch...Hey...Ouch...Stop!’

“What is the meaning of this” Hordak yelled as he marched in ready to strike but stopped when he saw that the people attacked were nothing more than children...Perhaps around Princess Frosta’s many younger children. All of them stopped as Hordak enter the room started stiff. 

Hordak noticed that all of them were wearing standard Horde Cadet uniforms

“What I miss” Entprata walked in behind Hordak and saw the kids, “Aw...How cute, tiny soldiers”

Suddenly all the children stood up straight and saluted.

One of them, a young girl with pink hair spoke, voice stammering in fear “L-L-Lord Hordak, we-we thought y-y-you were dead”

“Ugh, my back” Catra muttered as she got up, the anger dissipating as she saw the kids, “Oh um...H-HI”

The Kids eyes widened in shock.

“F-Force Captain Catra!” The same girl saluted, “Oh my gosh...Did we...I’m so sorry, don’t punish us”

“Woah, woah, hey it’s okay...No harm no fowl” Catra said trying to sound calm, “G-Good job...Sticking to sneak attacks but uh, what are you doing here right Hordak?”

Hordak seemed taken aback, “Y-Yes, quite well done, I see you’ve kept to your training. N-Now tell us Cadet...What are you doing here?”

“I’m Cadet Conny” The girl continued, “That’s Jordan, Corey, and Noah, we’ve been here for a few weeks ever since the other Lord Hordaks came, we’ve been hiding and now we’re just getting by on ration bars”.

“Oh...Yeah um…” Catra rubbed the back of her neck, “Yeah that stinks, I guess we’ve lost touch with a lot of the cadets”

Conny nodded, “We decided to come back here since well...Wouldn’t that be standard protocol”

Catra looked at Hordak.

“Uh huh...Y-Yes, good work following protocol” 

“So cute” Entrapta whispered beaming.

“So guys, um...D-Do you know that the War is over and the Horde is disbanded” Catra asked.

The cadet's eyes widened.

“Disbanded,” The one called Jordan gawked.

“Where are we gonna live!” Noah cried.

“Probably should have waited on that '' Entrapta stated, “I’ve been doing research on psychology for Hordaks brothers but some methods apply here. They should ease into into the change”

Catra looked nervous, “Woah, woah hey, don’t worry did I say disband I mean Ceasefire! Yes we had a ceasefire...The Princess will…

“Princess!” The Cades looked nervous.

“Force Captain, Lord Hordak, arent the Princess evil” Conny asked.

“Uh…. No not any…” Catra coughed. 

“The mission has changed” Hordak interjected, a idea occurred that might help ease the matter, “I have done some scientific research and have concluded that the Princesses are no longer our enemies but are vital allies now for survival in the future to come” he looked over at Entrapta and smiled who just waved at him.

The Cadets all looked at each other. “Really?” They all said in unison.

“You aren’t questioning High Command are you?” Hordak raised an eyebrow.

They all stiffened a bit and nodded.

Catra gave a disapproving glare for a moment but sighed, “Look, will get you guys to the alliance, though I’m sure if you wanna stay here when we rebuild the Fright Zone Scorpio would love it. She’s been trying to help as many old Cadets as possible”

“Force Captain Scorpia is their” Conny beamed, “Alright, I haven’t seen her in ages”

“She’s the best!” Noah chuckled.

“Don’t I know it” Catra snickered.

“She is indeed wonderful, I can concur the data says so” Entrapta replied.

“Go on, get whatever stuff you still have here and meet us outside in ten minutes” Catra ordered, smiling.

The cadets nodded and ran off.

Hordak looked at them, something felt off, “Will they...H-Have good lives” he looked almost sad.

“Anything’s better than here” Catra rubbed her nose, “I mean, I guess maybe not living in squander is worse but still...Better than anything we had”

“We?”

“Yeah,” Catra nodded, “You and me...You had Horde Prime I had Shadow Weaver, we both had crappy uprinings”

“I see…” Hordak sighed, “You have found other Cadets I hope, I guess I never thought until now that the war meant that the young ones would not have a home anymore.”

“We’re finding as many as we can, if not all of them” Catra replied, “Trust me, Scorpia is personally overseeing that one”

“She knows of the younger cadets?” 

Catra nodded, “Back when I was second in command I put Scorpia in charge of the younger ones...I didn’t want them to have Shadow Weaver looming over them and thought they could use something more...positive. Adora knows I wasn’t the one to be that for them at the time. Plus I knew she’d give them some positive reinforcement”.

“Awwww, you are a softy deep down” Entrapta beamed, “I honestly think you’d be great with kids one day Catra, I think you have the caretaker instinct in you...My data has shown it with how you’ve been handling yourself with Adora as of late. Always trying to protect her”

Catra blushed, “Well I uh….hmm...yeah….”

“Come along Entrapta...I think we’ve embarrassed Catra long enough” Hordak chuckled, “Come on, we still have work to do, and cadets to take home”

Finally once the mission was done they regrouped with the cadets on a nearby skiff.

“So, we’re are we gonna go” Conny asked.

“Brightmoon” Catra said, “And no, it’s not any territory anymore” She smirked.

“Yes’ Hordak coughed, some of the Cadets looking at him nervously, back in the day he hardly ever saw new recruits, “A-And I will just say” he said to them now, in his commanding bombastic voice, “Your bravery in the face of advertisement is to be regarded, may it be recorded in the records of the disbanded Horde for all eternity”

Catra rolled her eyes, “Alright tone it down”

“Aw, I think it's’ sweet” Entrapta giggled, “He’s like that with me”

Hordak ears drooped a bit as she blushed, “Yes, well, I still stand by what I say, these cadets are truly warriors”

“Yep” Catra smirked, “Unstoppable. Come on...Let’s get to you to a better life”  
With that they were off and as they headed out Hordak thought of what Catra had said, going off to a better life.


	2. Epilogue

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I had a small idea for a scene...So here yuh go.

Glimmer started writing down a list of kids that they have been finding all over Etheria. All of them Cadets from the Horde who were lost and without a home anymore since the Fright Zone was pretty much shut down. Catra and Hordak had been a good help organizing all of them. The kids thankfully (for now) had the instinct of discipline and obeying the higher ranking officers. Having the second in command and Horde Lord on ones side was a big help. 

Still something felt uneasy in Glimmers stomach as he saw the list of kids they would have to take care of. 

Hordak, Adora and Catra were with her at a meeting going over a list however she made a uneasy face.

“Everything okay Sparkles?” Catra asked.

“Oh, it’s nothing,” Glimmer muttered.

  
Catra raised a eye, “No it’s not, what's wrong”   
  
Hordak and Adora stopped looking at Glimmer seeming nervous.

“It’s just...These kids….There child soldiers, what are we gonna do with that?”   
  
Hordak raised an eyebrow, “Child soldiers?”   
  
“I mean yes!” Glimmer started looking upset, “They had to fight in a war”   
  
“No they didn’t” Hordak stated quite frankly.

Glimmer blinked looking confused, “Excuse me”   
  


“Why would I have children fight in the field” Hordak responded matter of factly, “Perhaps the Rebellion would given Princess Scorpia, but the Horde never sent our cadets until they became of age”

“Yeah, I was eighteen when I was assigned my first mission...and then defected the day after” Adora responded.

Catra nodded, “Yeah, you think they’d send someone like a baby Kyle into the front lines...we may have been evil but we aren’t that evil...well, except Shadow Weaver, but she ain’t stupid”   
  


“I would never have allowed it anyway” Hordak stated, “It’s just not efficient for one thing, plus I know a thing or two about Etheria morality to know the limits...I’m calculating not cruel”.

Glimmer wanted to argue but felt a bit guilty. She did have Frosta fight in a war. Granted she was a princess with magic powers but still, she was just a kid. Heck even her mom only indulged her being a ‘commander’ when she was a teenage only because she was a princess with magic. However her mother insured that she was always away from the frontlines as best as possible and scolded her for making stupid decesions.

“Well...Um…” Glimmer coughed feeling awkward, “Okay, still...What are we going to do with these cadets like, where did they come from, do they have any parents who are alive”   
  
“If they did, they are probably dead” Hordak responded again going over the list, “The Horde only took in orphans we found from the places we conquered”   
  
“Oh” Glimmer blushed again.

“What now?” Hordak asked.

“I-I always heard rumors the Horde kidnapped kids”   
  


Hordak blinked, “Again? Why! That would not be efficient, it would just increase resistance”

“Yeah Sparkles” Catra responded, “I mean sure we burn homes and cause fear and terror but we ain’t that stupid”   
  
Glimmer frowned, “Oh so property damage is fine but you draw the line on kidnapping”   
  
“Yes” 

Hordak nodded, “War is destructive, what do you expect, it’s why I’m trying my best to fix things”

“I thought you kidnapped me” Adora pointed out, “But then I found out it was Light Hope so...Yay?”

“Okay then…” Glimmer sighed, “Well...I’d hate to split up some of these groups though”   
  
“Yeah” Catra signed, “I mean...Maybe Scorpia can think of something, back when we were kids squads were pretty much family...Not that I treated mine like one though”   
  
“Ah come on, you treated me well” Adora smiled.

“Yeah you” Catra stated, “Lonnie, Rogelio, Kyle…..”   
  
“They’ll come around” Adora stated, “We’ll find them…Eventually, i’m sure they’re fine”

Glimmer sighed, “Well...Maybe we should take a break and go over these cadet list later…”   
  
“I too hope we can find a place for them” Hordak stated looking at the list, “Everything lost should have a home...It’s why I ordered lost children to be taken in...so that they wouldn’t feel useless...so they wouldn’t be failures”

“For what it’s worth” Catra stated looking at Adora, “At least something good came out of it all”   
  


  
  
  



End file.
